


Escape

by ssa_archivist



Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, Futurefic, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-05-15
Updated: 2006-05-15
Packaged: 2017-11-01 05:04:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/352242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssa_archivist/pseuds/ssa_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some well-meaning friends conspire to reveal the secret that Clark and Lex have unintentionally kept from one another. Written for the Kink/Cliche challenge on LJ organized by svmadelyn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Escape

## Escape

by Magdelena

<http://members.cox.net/magdelena1969>

* * *

_Summary_ : Some well-meaning friends conspire to reveal the secret that Clark and Lex have unintentionally kept from one another. 

_Challenge_ : Written for the 'Cuff 'Em, Vamp 'Em, or Just Make 'Em Come Already Kink and Cliche Multi-Fandom Challenge' organized on LJ by svmadelyn. Of the three prompts I was given to choose from, I used this one from Eliade's list - <http://eliade.livejournal.com/472331.html> \- Courting and dating (courtship rituals; dating; blind dates; personal ads; traditional gestures such as flowers and chocolates; unusual gestures designed to win someone's attention; showing off or displaying prowess; rivals seeking a character's favor; see also Seduction). 

_Disclaimer_ : I do not own any of the characters herein (only the plot). The characters of Clark Kent, Superman, Lex Luthor, Chloe Sullivan, Barbara Gordon, and Dick Grayson are the property of their creators and DC Comics. Smallville is owned by Gough/Millar Inc and the WB Network TV. I am publishing my fanfiction writings only for my own selfish desire to be a part of their world and receive nothing but fuzzy, warm feelings in return. The lyrics to 'Escape (The Pina Colada Song)' are the property of the recording company, the person who wrote them, and the artist who popularized them - Rupert Holmes. Lyrics are reprinted from my copy of 'Billboard Hits of the 70's'. Yes, I am that old. _sigh_

_Author's Note_ : Thanks to Sev1970 and The Clex Factor for betaing for me!! 

* * *

* * *

I was tired of my lady, we'd been together too long,  
Like a worn-out recording, of a favorite song,  
So while she lay there sleeping, I read the paper in bed,  
And in the personal columns, there was this letter I read...

* * *

"Wake up, Chloe. It's in the damn morning edition." 

Clark plopped down onto the vacant side of Chloe's double bed, resting against the headboard, and thwacked his rolled-up copy of the _Daily_ _Planet_ against his friend's comforter-covered backside. 

Clark's petulant tone, as well as the dull thud of the paper, managed to rouse Chloe from her slumber. 

"Wha...?" she murmured sleepily, turning her face toward Clark, wondering for a moment why Clark would be sitting on her bed early in the morning, and in his work clothes. Usually, when he showed up it was in his Superman uniform, after a particularly difficult night. Clark rarely ever used his key and entered her apartment like a normal person, and he certainly never came to her apartment before work. Instead, they usually just met at the _Planet_ offices, especially when they had a big story... 

"OH, your ad! Gimme, gimme." 

Suddenly wide-awake, Chloe sat up in bed and grabbed for the paper, hastily going through the parts until she at last found the one she was seeking. The rest of the paper was thrown on the floor as she carefully laid out the remaining section before her, one manicured fingertip inching down the columns of newsprint until she crowed in triumph when she found what she was seeking. 

"I still can't believe that you talked me into this," Clark groaned. 

"Shut up, Clark, and let me read," Chloe grumbled, only pausing when she caught a whiff of a familiar scent, her bright eyes locking onto Clark's hopefully. "Please, tell me that cappuccino is for me." 

"Of course it is." Clark snorted, chuckling as Chloe ripped the paper cup from his grasp, and proceeded to take a long, apparently satisfying sip. "Did you really think I'd risk waking you if I didn't come bearing caffeine?" 

* * *

If you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain,  
If you're not into yoga, if you have half a brain,  
If you'd like making love at midnight, in the dunes on the Cape,  
Then I'm the love that you've looked for, write to me and escape.

I didn't think about my lady, I know that sounds kind of mean, But me and my old lady, have fallen into the same dull routine, So I wrote to the paper, took out a personal ad, And though I'm nobody's poet, I thought it wasn't half bad... 

* * *

"Smart man," Chloe admitted, once more settling back to her task. "Let's see... 'Single Bi-sexual Male, 22, never married, seeks Bi-sexual or Gay White Male for open, honest relationship with potential life partner. Age is not an issue, as long as you're over 21, but older men are preferred. I'm 6'4", brunette, green eyes, muscular. Comfortable in everything from faded jeans to Armani tuxedos. Well read, hard-working. In final year at Met U., and third year at internship. Has family and civic responsibilities, but would put the right man above all else. So, 'if you like pina coladas...'" Chloe beamed up at Clark smugly. "I see someone got into it enough to edit in his own two cents to his ad." 

Clark shrugged and blushed, but raised his chin defiantly. "You had me sounding like something out of a romance novel; I didn't want to sound like a total dork with no sense of humor." 

"Sure, so you quote the lyrics of an old eighties song?" Chloe taunted disbelievingly. 

"1979, actually," Clark corrected sheepishly. "Lex's influence. You know how into pop music he is... was..." said Clark, wistfully, his thoughts automatically straying back to the relationship his younger self had with his older friend, and his subsequently dashed hopes that their bond might one day deepen into the kind of love his parents shared. 

Chloe, who was quite sure she knew exactly where Clark's thoughts had strayed, covered her grin by sipping at her coffee. "Any replies yet?" 

"I don't know! I didn't check YET!" Clark squawked, snapped back to the present moment by Chloe's question, his eyes widening almost comically in a disbelieving look that Chloe hadn't seen since their days at Smallville High. 

"Well, why not? I mean that's the whole purpose of this assignment, isn't it?" Chloe asked innocently. 

"I thought the purpose was to get Perry to offer us both jobs with the paper upon our graduation from Met U.?" Clark inquired, raising his eyebrows questioningly. 

Chloe huffed. "The _purpose_ is to see if the cynics out there are right and these ads are just a cover for people to find casual sex, or if some people are actually finding true love." Before Clark could reply, Chloe squealed happily and thrust the paper into his hands, pointing at another ad emphatically. "Clark, did you look at this one?" 

"Huh? Um, earth to Chloe. Remember, the reason I was placing an ad was so I'd have a controlled environment for getting information for the article. Of course I haven't looked at anyone else's ads." 

Chloe waved off his protest, already reaching for the phone by her bedside. "Pfft. What are you worried about? Someone stalking you? You're Superman for cripes sake! I think you can protect yourself. Besides, you've already got a dummy cell phone set up to communicate with anyone who answered your ad. You'll be just fine. Here, you've got to look at it. This guy is perfect for you." 

Giving in with a dramatic sigh, Clark finally reneged and looked down at the ad Chloe had indicated. "Fine, but I'm sure..." 

Chloe dropped the cordless phone into Clark's lap, smirking as she watched the play of emotions on his face while he read the ad she had pointed out. She waited for the hoped-for reaction, and wasn't disappointed when a spark of interest glimmered in the hazel eyes as they finally snapped up to meet hers. "Wow. That does... I mean..." 

"Call him, Clark," she ordered, even as she finally climbed out from under her covers to get ready so they could start their day. "I know that this is just supposed to be a work assignment, but don't you think you owe it to yourself to take a chance here? Love can show up in the strangest places, Clark. Call him now before you talk yourself out of it. There _is_ someone out there you can share it all with, Clark," she added gently. "And maybe, just maybe, he's the one." 

"Since it can't be the one I really want it to be, of course," Clark added ruefully. "Why not?" 

* * *

Yes, I like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain,  
I'm not much into health food, I am into champagne,  
I've got to meet you by tomorrow noon, and cut through all this red-tape,  
At a bar called O'Malley's, where we'll plan our escape...

* * *

"Oh, I do NOT think so! Are you fucking insane?" Lex bellowed, narrowing his eyes threateningly at his luncheon companion. 

"I'm sorry," Barbara Gordon answered with a shrug, not looking the least bit apologetic, "But I'm tired of having you moping around." 

"Please, tell me you didn't," Lex begged, even as he stared incredulously at the evidence of one of his supposed best friends' betrayals printed before him in the personals section of the _Planet_. 

"I wrote the ad myself, and then I had Dick call it in." 

Lex scowled, before trying a different tactic. He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and offered his friend one of his trademark, amused smiles. "All the women I date are homicidal maniacs anyway. You somehow think I'll find a better class of women in the personal ads of the _Daily_ _Planet_?" 

"Of course not," Barbara agreed, much to Lex's surprise. 

"Then why...?" he asked, completely confused, and thusly unaware that he had just stumbled into Barbara's trap. 

"That's why we advertised for a man," Barbara offered with a Cheshire cat grin as she leaned over Lex's desk and speared a bamboo sprout from the open carton of fried rice in front of him. 

"You WHAT???" Lex screeched. 

"See for yourself." 

Lex wasted no time in scanning down the advertisements to the one Barbara had circled, noting immediately that his supposed friend had, indeed, placed the advertisement in the 'Male Seeking Male' category. Lex ignored Barbara's grumblings about the spiciness of her egg roll as he focused all of his attention on the words of the ad itself. 

"28 year old Bi-sexual White Male seeks 21-35 year old Bi-sexual or Gay Male for long term committed relationship. 6'1", slim, financially secure, established businessman seeks hard-working partner with good, family-oriented values from strong background. Social drinker, no drugs. Previously married. No children, yet. Loves dogs, kids, and a mix of small town and big city living. Would do anything to protect those he loves. Leave your biases at the doorstep. Let's plan our 'escape'." 

Lex growled low in his throat, and counted to ten before he trusted himself to address Barbara again. 

"I hate you," Lex muttered through clenched teeth. "As if the rest of it isn't bad enough... You quoted Rupert-fucking-Holmes?" 

"Please, you love that stupid song," Barbara countered, rolling her eyes, and not at all affected by Lex's tone or attitude. "And you won't hate me once you see the replies you've gotten. I'm partial to one particular response myself. He seems so sweet. Apparently, he had placed an ad too, but he saw yours and couldn't resist answering. You're meeting him at three o'clock this afternoon at Maguire's Pub." 

"What? Couldn't find a 'bar called O'Malley's'," Lex asked snidely, not able to resist another reference to the song in question, before narrowing his eyes. "Wait! I already called him?" 

"Well, I had to have Dick make the call. It's not like you were going to! The guy's name is Jerry, he's twenty-two, and he's going to meet you in less than two hours, so you'd better get a move on." 

* * *

So, I waited with high hopes, and she walked in the place,  
I knew her smile in an instant, I knew the curve of her face,  
It was my own lovely lady, and she said, "Oh it's you."  
Then we laughed for a moment, and I said, "I never knew..."

* * *

Clark rested his head back against the brick wall behind him, regretting once again letting Chloe talk him into this debacle. There had to be an easier way to get a story. And despite his earlier, rather insane bout of optimism, it wasn't like Clark thought he was actually going to _find_ somebody. Sure the guy in the ad had sounded wonderful, but he couldn't possibly be the one Clark wanted. After all, the only person he'd ever truly wanted, once he realized that his childhood infatuation with Lana was just the stuff of fairy tales, was definitely unavailable to him. 

Clark and Lex Luthor weren't quite enemies, but they weren't exactly the close friends they had been during Clark's teen years either. Lex's investigations into the abnormal happenings in Smallville, and his obsessive interest in Clark had, in the end, been unnecessary. One night, during Clark's final year at Smallville High, the spirit of Tina Greer had possessed Lionel, and tried to kill Martha. Clark's only choices had been to reveal his powers in front of Lex, or allow his mother to die at mutant-Lionel's hands. The choice had been a no-brainer. 

Once Lionel had lain unconscious at Clark's feet, Martha still out cold, Clark had looked up to see a triumphant gleam in Lex's eye. A frisson of cold terror shuddered through him. What Lex had seen had obviously confirmed every suspicion Lex had ever had... and more. The question now was what would Lex do with that knowledge. Would he prove out everyone's suspicions of Lex's motives at fostering a friendship with Clark? Would Clark find himself exposed to green kryptonite and strapped to a laboratory table somewhere, awaiting dissection? 

Clark could tell the precise moment that Lex sensed his fear, but of all the scenarios Clark had pictured, his friend's reaction was completely unexpected. Lex shook his head sadly, his gaze tearing away from Clark's, even as he lifted his cell phone to his ear. Within an hour, all evidence that Lionel had even been at the farmhouse had been eradicated, and Lionel was found wandering out in the remote part of the Luthor estate, with no memory of the last several hours, apparently a victim of yet another Smallville mutant. The sheriff hadn't even bothered asking any questions. After all, this kind of thing happened in Smallville all the time. Shortly thereafter Lionel retired to a tropical island, leaving his company in the very capable hands of his son. 

A few days after the attack, a thick file had arrived at the Kent farm, along with a square chunk of scrap metal - all that remained of the silver Porsche that had slammed into Clark so long ago. Clark and his parents had been wary of the gesture, but when weeks had passed, and Lex had made no move against Clark, the Kents had finally relaxed a bit. 

It was nearly a month after that when the inevitable confrontation with Lex had finally occurred - and it had been absolutely anticlimactic. The young billionaire had appeared at the door to the farmhouse one evening, asking to speak to Clark. Lex had leaned against the countertop in the Kent kitchen, ignoring Jonathan's glare, Martha's concern, and Clark's outright fear as he calmly explained to the young man who had saved his life so many times that he would be moving back to Metropolis in order to take over LuthorCorp. Never once did he bring up the subject of Clark's abilities. 

In the end, Clark had been unable to stand the suspense. He blurted out the truth off his origins to Lex, and waited for the other man's response. Instead of the expected calculating, assessing look, Clark was pleasantly shocked when Lex's lips had curved up into a serene smile, his eyes sliding shut as one lone tear tracked down his right cheek. When he had at last opened his eyes, Lex sighed. 

"Thank you, Clark," Lex had whispered hoarsely, before dragging Clark into his arms in a rough embrace. 

Barely a moment later, Lex had extracted himself from Clark's arms, and with a promise to be in touch soon, he had left a bewildered Kent family, and a surprisingly aroused Clark in his wake. Lex had never mentioned Clark's secrets again. 

The ensuing few years had seen little contact between Clark and Lex, but the interactions that did occur were all still significant. When Jonathan had run for Senate, Lex had been a contributor to his campaign, and had appeared at the party to celebrate Jonathan's win. He had stood by Clark's side at Jonathan's funeral, silently giving his support to both Clark and Martha. When Clark had moved to the city to attend Metropolis University, it wasn't a shock that someone had anonymously arranged for Clark to have a dorm room all to himself. 

Each time the two had gotten together socially, the same attraction Clark had felt for Lex simmered just beneath the surface, making for a handful of painfully awkward meetings. Now that the secret of his origins no longer stood between them, and Clark could be free to be himself around Lex, the attraction that he denied for so long couldn't help but surface, and his endeavors to squelch that attraction had adversely affected any attempts that the two had made to re-establish their friendship. Thus, important parts of their lives were still kept secret from one another, albeit unintentionally, and their times together were passed trading small talk instead of any important information. 

The biggest problem, of course, Clark ruefully reminded himself each time, was that his friend was very decidedly straight. If Clark had even had a glimmer of hope that Lex could have returned his affections, he wouldn't have hesitated to make the first move. 

"Enough pining over what you can never have, Clark," he muttered to himself as he glanced around at the other inhabitants of the small establishment. Deciding that he was tired of waiting alone, Clark picked his cell phone up off the table, and speed-dialed Chloe's cell. 

"Clark, why are you calling me? Aren't you supposed to be on your date? Where are you? Has Andy gotten there yet?" 

Clark rolled his eyes at the rapid-fire questions. Maybe calling Chloe hadn't been the smartest option to pass the time after all. "I'm here at the stupid bar. No, he's not here yet, but he's not due for another ten minutes." He ran a hand nervously through his hair. "God, I hate blind dates. It wasn't even him I talked to, you know. It was some guy who worked for him. He sounded familiar somehow, but almost as if his voice was disguised." Suddenly, Clark froze. "You promise me that you and Jimmy aren't setting me up?" 

"Clark, I can promise you, without a shadow of a doubt that Jimmy and I are not setting you up." 

And why didn't _that_ very carefully worded statement make Clark feel any more secure? Before Clark could think on her response too long though, Chloe continued speaking. 

"Didn't he say that your guy was in meetings all day, but was so intrigued by you that he didn't want to waste a whole day before he called you?" 

"Yeah," Clark admitted, a decidedly adolescent pout curving his lips. 

"Clark, trust me," Chloe assured. "I have a really good feeling about this. I think this guy is the one for you. In fact, I know it," she added decisively. 

"I wish I had your confidence," Clark muttered, his eyes straying toward the door of the bar. 

"Clark, I have complete confidence that the moment you see this guy, you're going to realize it too. Just remember that HE placed an ad, looking for a guy just like you." 

* * *

"Barbara, I can't do this." Lex's usual self-confidence was shot, as he rather uncharacteristically admitted his weakness to the woman on the other end of the line. Although her importance in his life had increased dramatically over the years, Lex had known her since even before his initial banishment to Smallville. She was one of the few people Lex felt like he could let down his guard around. Lex slouched against the wall of the bar, his mobile phone clutched to his ear. 

"I can't go through with it. I don't want to date anyone." Well, that wasn't precisely the truth. The truth was that he had no desire to be with anyone other than Clark Kent. 

Almost as if she could hear his thoughts, Barbara sighed knowingly, and Lex could picture her easy smile. For a tough woman who routinely took on almost any criminal in Gotham without backup, she had a distinctly maternal side that always showed its face in her interactions with Lex. 

"I know that, sweetie. You want the whole package. Your problem is that you always go into things no-holes-barred and you wind up with psychos for partners. You need someone you know as a friend first, someone you know for years before you take that step past friendship, someone where the love grows so subtly that you turn around one day and realize that you've been in love with them for a long time, and you don't even know when it happened. This guy, Lex... I really think this guy is the one." 

* * *

Clark muttered a goodbye to Chloe before closing off the connection. As his eyes rose toward the doorway to check once again for his 'date', he gasped, his eyes widening in shock. Standing there was 'Andy', chatting on his cell phone, dressed in the casual, tailored clothing Clark had been told to expect, with a white rosebud pinned to his lapel. 

And apparently, 'Andy' was Lex Luthor. 

* * *

While Barbara had been talking, Lex had smoothed out a non-existent wrinkle in his sports coat, blanked his roiling emotions off his face, and proceeded to the door of the bar. "Can't be, Barbara. Clark is straight, and he's..." Lex stopped in the doorway, frozen in the blinding light of one of the smiles that he liked to fantasize that Clark reserved only for him. "...right here." 

"Well, then maybe you ought to go over and say hello. Apparently the man of your dreams has arrived," Barbara offered sagely, right before she severed the connection. 

"Don't I wish," Lex mumbled to himself. 

* * *

No, it couldn't be. Lex was his date? Lex was Andy? And more importantly, Lex WANTED to be his date? But if Lex was bi, then why hadn't he...? 

Clark wanted to berate himself for listening in on the tail end of Lex's conversation, but the moment he realized that Lex met the description of the man he had been waiting for, Clark's superhearing wigged out on him in a way that it hadn't since he first realized that he had that power. And when he had heard Lex's misconceptions about Clark's sexual proclivities, a thousand jumbled thoughts went through the Clark's head at once. 

Clark had always tried to ignore his attraction to Lex on the assumption that Lex wasn't attracted to guys, but if Lex was placing an ad seeking another male... 

Suddenly, Clark's smile broadened. Maybe he wouldn't have to kill Chloe for this whole debacle anyway. And maybe, just maybe, this night might turn out much better than he had ever expected. 

Clark wasn't the same clueless youth he had been in Smallville, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that he had, indeed, been set up, and probably by more than just Chloe - which increased the odds of this insanity working out. It also stood to reason that Lex had probably also been set up as well. After all, that voice on the phone HAD sounded mighty familiar. 

However, instead of being upset at the well-meaning interference, he found himself already mentally making out a list of ways to thank the suspected trio of cohorts if things worked out the way he thought they might. 

Clark beckoned Lex over to his table, his smile, if possible, broadening even further. How had he managed to get this so wrong? 

* * *

"Clark? I didn't realize you were coming here tonight. This isn't one of your frequent haunts," Lex said as he approached, offering Clark a half smile and squeezing his friend's shoulder before dropping down comfortably into the seat across from Clark. 

While waiting for Clark to answer, Lex's eyes scanned the room, looking for anyone who might be his blind date. If only Barbara had been right, and Clark _was_ the one that Lex was supposed to be meeting, it would be his every fantasy and dream come true. Barbara hadn't given him any information to go on about what his date might look like, only told him what to wear so 'Jerry' would recognize him. Unfortunately, Lex's cursory perusal didn't yield anyone who might be the mysterious Jerry. 

"Actually, no it isn't, but I'm meeting someone here tonight," Clark answered, taking a deep breath in an attempt to settle the butterflies dancing around in his stomach. He paused deliberately so his next statement would make the maximum impact. "And _he_ suggested meeting here." 

"HE?" Lex blurted out, his head whipping back to Clark so quickly that Clark thought his friend might have gotten whiplash. 

"Yeah, he," Clark agreed softly, the look of sheer shock on Lex's face removing his last vestiges of worry. He reached out his hand gently to cover Lex's, which was resting on the table. "Hi, my name is Jerry. Andy, I presume?" 

Staring down at the tanned hand covering his own, Lex shuddered slightly. As usual, even the most casual touch from Clark had sent a jolt of electricity straight to his groin. His cock almost perfectly pulsed in time with every gentle brush of Clark's thumb against the soft skin between his thumb and forefinger. 

"Oh, holy fuck," Lex breathed out. Suddenly, Lex's eyes, bright with desire, snapped up to meet Clark's. "Since when the fuck have you batted for both teams?" he whispered. 

Clark felt emboldened by the fact that this situation had thrown Lex so off balance. He parted his lips slightly, moistening them with the tip of his tongue as began closing the space between them. "For a while, but I never knew that you..." he started. 

"One part of my infamous younger life that Lionel managed to keep out of the press," Lex murmured, even as he leaned forward to meet Clark halfway. He suddenly seemed to snap out of his haze just as their lips were about to meet. "Clark? What the hell are we doing?" he whispered. 

"Something we should have done a long time ago," Clark admitted, leaving no room for further questions as he covered Lex's lips with his own. 

* * *

That you like Pina Coladas, getting caught in the rain,  
And the feel of the ocean, and the taste of champagne,  
If you'd like making love at midnight, in the dunes of the Cape  
You're the love that I've looked for, come with me and escape.

* * *

Their first kiss was a gentle brushing of lips. After that, their eyes met for a moment, both acknowledging the reality that this was truly happening between them, and that this was, indeed, something they both wanted before their lips met again. This time, the kiss lingered, deepening slowly, each brush of their tongues increasing their passion as the kiss grew feverish. Lex's free hand came up to stroke Clark's cheek tenderly, even as Clark's other hand settled against Lex's waist. 

When they finally broke apart, both had difficulty calming their racing hearts. Clark felt Lex trembling against him as they leaned their foreheads together, and he knew that Lex too felt the utter rightness of this moment. 

"If I had only known," Lex whispered. "I never would have left you. I never would have left Smallville. All the years we've wasted." 

"How long have you been in love with me?" Clark asked, finally understanding with absolute clarity the reasons behind Lex's obsessive interest in him. For someone whose life had been filled with people who had only wanted him for his money, and who had been raised for most of his youth by a controlling father who thought of emotional displays as weaknesses, Lex had dealt with his feelings in the only way he knew how. 

"Clark, you're assuming a lot," Lex said guardedly, stiffening in Clark's embrace. 

Clark whispered soothing sounds, gently stroking Lex's hip with his fingertips, feeling the other man relax slightly in his arms before continuing to speak. "You're right. Maybe it's just wishful thinking that you're in love with me." Clark smiled. "Because it makes it even easier to tell you that I don't have a clue when I fell in love with you. It might have been the day I arrived in Smallville, when we were still children, and I first touched your face. It might have been the day you crashed your car into me, and your eyes opened on that river bank. It might have been the day you saved me in the cornfield, or the day that you strode into the plant, willing to exchange your life for all of us. It might have been the day that you came back from the island, and I didn't want to ever let you go again." 

With each of Clark's declarations, Lex's eyes had opened wider, the fear and insecurity slowly but surely being replaced by desire and affection. 

"Or, it might have been when I finally stopped panicking about the fact that you knew the truth about me," Clark continued, his voice a mere whisper, "and I realized that I had been an idiot for ever thinking I had something to fear from you. I don't know when it happened," he admitted. "But, it's always been you, Lex. I tried to deny it. I tried to fight it. I tried to be 'normal'. I don't want to be normal if that means I can't have you." 

Lex's eyes were suspiciously bright as he brushed away the tears that had coursed down Clark's face. He sat for a few long moments, just staring at Clark, simply amazed that he could be lucky enough to have his every dream coming true right in front of him. Words that he had never spoken to another somehow came easily, the declaration slipping from his lips. "You can have me for forever, if you want me. I've been yours for the taking since the moment you saved my life. Realizing that it was..." Lex paused, gathering his courage, taking in a deep breath before continuing. "That it was love," he continued confidently, "took a while to figure out. But I do, Clark. I do love you. I'm not sure I know what to do with that, but I want to try." 

"Me too," Clark agreed. "Of course, I want to try a lot of other things too," he admitted breathlessly, his gaze almost predatory as he studied Lex's slim frame. 

Back on somewhat familiar ground, Lex's world seemed to right itself. Though admittedly, the fact that it was the start of forever together, the fact that it was his Clark looking at him with undisguised lust made it infinitely more arousing than any situation of this nature Lex had ever found himself in before, there was still a simple truth at work here. If the hand that was slowly creeping along his thigh, teasingly brushing against his rapidly hardening cock was any indication, he was about to have sex - sex with his Clark. 

Lex's nostrils flared, and his lips curved into a knowing smirk. "So, why are we still here when we could be in the penthouse already?" 

Clark's chuckle was somewhat strangled, as his voice was still choked with emotion, but without hesitation he stood, pulling Lex up by their still-joined hands. 

Tomorrow, they could thank their friends for their well-meaning interference, because when the dawn broke, neither had a doubt that they would still be together. But tonight was for them, and together, they made their escape. 


End file.
